Mad Season: Quintessence
by Aelora
Summary: Hudson Clark Kent, aka Superwoman, thought her hands were full when dealing with her ex, Lex Luthor. When fellow crime fighter, Batman, appears in Metropolis one night, she realizes her life is only beginning to get complicated.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** For anyone who is still reading about Superwoman, I began this story a long while ago and it is finally near enough to done that I feel comfortable beginning to post it. It continues to follow Hudson during her first few years in Metropolis as Superwoman, taking place about a year after "Identity". This time around, she meets a fellow crimefighter: Batman. If you get a little feel of the "Justice League" mixed with the recent Batman reboot, you're not far off from my world. :) I will be posting another chapter in the next couple of days. There is also artwork:

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**Quintessence**

_Quintessence – The pure and concentrated essence of a substance; _

_the most perfect embodiment of something._

Lex poured a second glass of brandy before setting the decanter down and picking both up, fingers barely clenching the rims. He eyed his guest silently for a long moment before making his way across the airy boardroom and placing one glass down on the table before sipping at his own. The temperature in the room was a little hotter than usual; a cheap ploy to make his business associates uncomfortable, but it generally worked. Unfortunately, Bruce Wayne looked entirely content, leaning back in the black leather chair as if he might have been enjoying an evening at home, legs stretched out in front of him, slim fingers tapping lightly on the oak surface of the tabletop. He flashed Lex a gracious smile at the glass of brandy before lifting it to his lips to take a sip.

"That's what I like about visiting you, Lex," he smiled as he swirled the beverage in his glass. "Nothing but the best."

"Of course," Lex drawled, smiling thinly as he turned away, moving back down the length of the table toward the far end where fifteen foot windows looked out over the city. He kept his back to his guest as he took another sample of the brandy, contemplating his next move. "So, tell me, Bruce, other than the brandy, what brings you to Metropolis?"

He heard Bruce chuckle, and turned in mild aggravation to face him, wondering how it was this undisciplined playboy could run a company that was currently out-earning Lexcorp.

"Stopping in to see an old friend isn't reason enough?" Bruce asked, flashing an all-too charming smile that Lex recognized from years past. "Come on, Lex. It's been a while. I was curious to see what you were up to." He paused, turning his gaze to the glass beside him for a moment before asking, "It was Halloween, wasn't it? Eight years ago–that seems like ages ago. You were there with that adorable Tinyville girl–"

"Smallville," Lex corrected through clenched teeth.

Bruce smiled again as he looked up. "Smallville, right. Hudson. Hudson Kent. I hear she's a journalist now."

Lex's grasp tightened on his glass, and he had to force himself to breathe for a long moment before relaxing, even managing a smile. "Yes, she is. Divergent paths, I suppose."

"Hmmm. Sad. Thought she might have been the one to put a little chink in that Luthor armor of yours," Bruce commented before taking another sip of brandy. "From what I understand, a few of her articles have caused Lexcorp's stock to plummet." He smirked as he held up his glass. "Here's to a woman scorned, eh, Lex?"

Knowing it would not reflect much better on his stock to toss the CEO of Wayne Enterprises out the 95th floor of Lexcorp, Lex chose to ignore the remark as he set his half-empty glass down. "You were about to tell me why you requested this meeting…"

"Was I?" Bruce asked in amusement before shaking his head, chuckling. "Ah, Lex. You still aren't one for teasing, are you?"

"Not when I have a company to run, no."

Sobering at his serious tone, Bruce nodded as if in momentary agreement, and seemed to shift into business mode. "Very well, then. Enough with catching up. I'm here because Fox brought something quite interesting to my attention the other day, and I'm looking to get a little bit of clarification to it."

Lex slipped his hands into his pockets as he leaned back against the table. "And that would be?"

"Apparently, there's been some organization making quite a few rather large real estate inquiries into Gotham," Bruce began. "Fox looked into it, and it appears that the company is a subsidiary of Lexcorp." Bruce shook his head and smiled as he glanced over at Lex. "And I couldn't, for the life of me, come up with any viable reason as to why Lex Luthor would be interested in owning property in Gotham."

"No?"

It was Lex's turn to be amused. He had not gone out of his way to make it particularly difficult for Bruce to learn the identity of the buyer on purpose. After all, if he had made it too hard, people might have thought he had other motivations behind the interest. By the time anyone of note figured it all out, it would be far too late for Bruce to move in and block the property buy-out.

"Some analysts predict that Gotham will soon be the next hot property on the market," Lex began explaining with a short shrug. "There's talk of it being bigger than Star City over the last decade. Just thought I'd try to get in on the ground floor beforehand."

Bruce laughed. "You don't expect me to believe that, do you? Come on, Lex. Gotham still has one of the highest crime rates in the nation. I don't see that changing any time soon. And no one wants to live someplace where you can't walk your dog for fear of both you _and_ the dog getting mugged."

"Perhaps," Lex nodded in agreement. "But Batman seems to be taking care of that little problem.

His guest promptly rolled his eyes. "Please. He's little more than a vigilante. A lone nutjob in a giant batsuit. His only accomplishment has been in making the crime rate in Gotham worse."

Lex grunted. He had to agree with that sentiment. Lately it seemed as if every nutcase in Middle America was appearing in Metropolis to take on the famed Superwoman. Unfortunately, it was near impossible to get the populace to see that. They were so taken by the news reels of her saving kittens from trees and helping little old ladies across the street that they were completely blind to the danger she represented. Never mind the amount of personal destruction she had caused to Lexcorp.

Not long ago, when the citizens had looked for a savior for Metropolis, they had looked to him. After all, he was personally responsible for creating more than 150,000 new jobs in the metropolitan area, cleaning up the Suicide Slums district and developing enough shelters and rehabilitation clinics for every homeless person in the city. It did not matter that the Daily Planet enjoyed referring to such places as 'sweat shops'; he had made a difference here. The city's economy was up, production was sky-rocketing, and Metropolis had become a shining beacon of the American Dream for the rest of the country. And in the middle of it all, towering over everything, gleaming like two silver pinnacles of humanity's ingenuity, stood Lexcorp Towers.

And then she appeared.

"… Superwoman."

Snapping out of his reverie, Lex was barely able to suppress his frown in reaction to Bruce's mention of her name. "Pardon?"

If Bruce was surprised by Lex's momentary lapse, he did no't show it. "I just mentioned that you have your own form of crime fighting here in Metropolis… in the form of Superwoman."

"Hmmm." Lex walked back toward Bruce, taking a seat in the chair beside him. "Don't tell me she's fooled you as much as she has the rest of the world?"

Bruce raised an eyebrow in obvious curiosity. "I take it you don't like her?"

Shrugging, Lex leaned back in his seat, index finger absently moving over his lip as he considered his response. "She's good for tourism. Ridiculous little shops have appeared on every street corner, selling Superwoman merchandise, of all things. Other than that… "

He trailed off, allowing his frown to reappear as he leaned forward, elbows settling on his knees as Lex focused his most earnest expression onto Bruce. "Beyond her do-gooding self, have you ever really sat down to consider the threat she poses to humanity?"

"Threat?" Bruce pursed his lips in thought. "Nothing I've seen indicates her as a threat. In fact, she seems quite docile."

"Consider, if you will," Lex began. "That you're talking about someone here who is virtually unstoppable. Her strength and speed are beyond anything we can imagine. She can shoot fire from her eyes. She can freeze things with her breath. Her body is impenetrable to any substance found on this Earth. And what if… just, _what if_ she woke up on the wrong side of the bed one morning, huh? Think about that. Where would humanity stand against such a powerful being? With the amount of good that she can do in day, picture the amount of evil she could accomplish. If she ever desired it, she could enslave our entire race, and there would be no one to stop her."

Lex watched silently as Bruce seemed to contemplate his words, a frown slowly overtaking the usually relaxed visage. His guest cleared his throat after a moment before commenting, "You, uh, paint quite the frightening picture, Lex."

"Few are clever enough to realize the danger she represents to all of humanity," Lex told him. "Luckily, there are leaders within the community–such as you and I–who have the ability to look out for our fellow citizens of Earth."

"Well, I don't see how. You just pointed out that there is no way to stop her."

Lex smiled slowly. "Oh, but I said there was nothing found on this Earth that could stop her."

Bruce's gaze narrowed slightly as he returned Lex's stare. "Just what are you hinting around at, Lex?"

"I happen to be in possession of just the sort of material that Superwoman is indefensible against. From what I have been able to ascertain, it is the last of its kind available."

"That's… " Bruce paused as he reached up to rub at his chin for a moment. "You're sure of this? That you actually have a way of taking down Superwoman?"

"Yes." Lex's smile grew. "I am on the one person on this planet who could have control over her."

Bruce's expression suddenly changed, lips pursing once more as he leaned forward in his chair, mimicking Lex's stance as he dropped his voice to a whisper. "And just why, may I ask, are you sharing this with me?"

"The Batman," Lex responded, more than pleased that Bruce had jumped at the bait dangled before him. "I want you to get in touch with the Batman for me."

Bruce broke out into laughter, sitting up as he waggled a finger at Lex. "Oh, you had me going there for a moment, Luthor. I thought you were serious."

"I am serious, Bruce."

His guest shook his head. "What makes you think I could ever get into contact with him?"

"Because you're Bruce Wayne," Lex pointed out. "Your family has owned Gotham for a very long time. Whatever the Batman's intentions may be, he has to be bright enough to at least recognize this. I'm certain that if _the_ Bruce Wayne were to demand an audience with him, the Batman certainly couldn't refuse."

There had been a brief time when Lex found himself wondering if Bruce were not, in fact, the infamous Batman. Stranger things had happened. He had even put Mercy and Hope on his trail, to get hard evidence to the fact. What better way to blackmail Bruce Wayne than to threaten to expose proof of his nightly escapades as the Batman? Unfortunately, none of his theories had come to fruition, and eventually Lex had to accept the realization that his imagination had simply run away with him. The truth of the matter was his old schoolmate was nowhere near brilliant enough to come up with such a plan, let alone get away with it. Bruce had barely made passing grades in school, using his charm and his family's well-respected name to get away with things other students could never have achieved. Lex had always resented him for that little fact, among an assortment of other reasons.

"I don't know, Lex," Bruce responded after a few moments' contemplation. "Personally, I have no interest in having a face-to-face with this bat character. Besides, what do you need him for anyway?"

"I could never get close enough to Superwoman for the weapon to be effective," Lex admitted with a slight shrug. He tapped one finger on the tabletop for emphasis. "But a fellow crime fighter? Well now, that's another story entirely. Superwoman tends to be extremely trusting and fairly naïve. She would consider the Batman as having the same ideals as she."

Bruce raised his eyebrows in question. "And how do we know he wouldn't?"

"I think once he acknowledges the kind of danger she represents to humanity, he won't have any choice but to be on our side."

In this, Lex was completely confident. For the moment, Superwoman seemed to the world like some celestial savior. It would only be a matter of time before they learned the truth.

And then he would step in, to clean up the destruction.


	2. Chapter 2

"…_And there she is, descending from the sky to meet with the leader of the Free World – And there she is, descending from the sky to meet with the leader of the Free World in this momentous occasion, a day that will live forever in history… And there she is, descending from the sky_ – "

"Louis!"

Louis pressed the pause button on the video program and glanced across the aisle at Hudson, who was flashing him her darkest glare. Which, truth be told, really wasn't that dark at all, and had sent him into peels of laughter more than once. For the moment, though, she was attempting to look as fierce as possible, just so he could understand how truly annoyed with him she was.

"What?" His finger was poised over the mouse, ready to play the video again the moment they finished their conversation.

She waved an impatient hand toward his monitor and the frozen picture of Superwoman landing beside the President on the White House lawn. "Haven't you watched that enough? That confounded thing has been on loop for over an hour now!"

"Confounded?" Louis repeated, grinning at her in amusement. "And no, I haven't watched it enough. This was a momentous occasion, Smallville. Every news organization said so… although yours truly was quoted as saying it first when the meeting was announced!" He tapped his finger on the front page of the _Daily Planet_ where his article, from the week before, was printed.

"Besides -- look at her!" He beamed at the image on the monitor. "Look how graceful she is! How proud! How beautiful!"

Hudson snorted. "That is the ugliest ensemble ever. Her existence has at least proven one thing – aliens have horrible fashion sense."

"Umm, Smallville… what's that saying about glass houses?"

"What?" She glanced down at the gray, slightly oversized suit she wore. "I dress appropriately according to my profession." She brought her gaze back to his, tilted her head slightly and smiled. "Then again, I suppose so does Superwoman – for a circus act!"

Louis shook his head and frowned at her. "No respect, Smallville. No respect. She's a great woman, I'll have you know. Think of the lives she's saved since she's been here! Not to mention how many times she's put a kink in Luthor's various plans for taking over the city." He chuckled. "That's something I'm just never going to tire of."

"Well, Lex might," Hudson remarked, bringing her attention back to the story on the monitor in front of her.

"True. His ego will never allow him to believe that there might be someone out there who is superior to him."

Louis appeared to be thoughtfully silent for a moment, staring at the frozen image of his new heroine with such a sappy expression that Hudson couldn't contain a quick rolling of her eyes. For the last six months since Superwoman had first appeared in the skies of Metropolis, her name was on the tip of Louis' tongue with every conversation. She'd allowed three interviews with him, and each time he'd fawned over her like she was some Hollywood starlet or something. It was adorable, and amusing, but damn frustrating when it came down to the fact that as Hudson, Louis didn't even seem to know she existed. That was her own fault, of course, and it gave testament to the fact that her disguise as the bumbling reporter actually worked.

"Kent!" Perry's voice bellowed across the newsroom, causing Hudson to jump, knocking over her coffee cup which, fortunately for this time around, was empty. "Lane!"

Louis glanced over his shoulder before casting a quick look at Hudson. He didn't seem too concerned with whatever Perry had to say to them, choosing to return his attention to his monitor as she jumped to her feet. Their boss was fast-approaching, long-legged strides eating up the space between his office and their desks before Hudson could meet him halfway.

"You rang, Chief?" Louis drawled as he leaned back in his chair.

"I want you both to get down to Lexcorp Plaza," he barked. "Just got word that Wayne's limo was seen pulling up outside."

"_Bruce_ Wayne?" Hudson asked, blinking in surprise at the name.

"No. John Wayne," Perry responded sarcastically as he snatched his cigar from his teeth. "Of course, it's _Bruce_ Wayne, Kent! Who the hell else would I be this excited about? Something's cooking up between those two, and I want to know what it is!"

Louis swiveled in his chair before jumping to his feet. "The Apocalypse would be my first guess," he replied. "I mean, if they're in the same building and not actually tearing each other apart."

"I've heard they're usually quite civil with one another," Hudson couldn't help but point out as she grabbed her purse, dumping half of the contents as she did so. Above her, Louis sighed loudly as she bent down to pick them up.

"When in public," her partner responded. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall in Luthor's office!"

As Hudson stood, she found Perry staring at her in that unnerving way he had, like he was seeing something beneath the surface that she wished to remain hidden. It had begun happening more and more since she'd started her job at the Planet, and she couldn't help but wonder at times how safe her secret identity truly was. The disguise was still perfect; not once had she ever slipped up. The problem was that Perry White seemed to notice everything. It's why he'd been such a great reporter before moving into an editor position. Little got past him, and every time that Superwoman made an appearance, Hudson always found Perry watching her the following morning. Maybe it was all in her head, but she couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't just the tiniest bit suspicious.

"Kent, weren't you friends with Wayne?" Perry finally asked after a moment.

She shook her head. "Barely acquaintances, Mr. White. I stayed at his estate one weekend with Lex – there was a masquerade. You probably read about it in the gossip pages."

"And I'm sure Wayne will look forward to catching up with you, Smallville," Louis told her with a grin as he took her by the elbow and began steering her toward the elevator. "Old acquaintances united against a common foe! It's the perfect hook."

Hudson couldn't help but frown. "Lex isn't my foe, Louis."

"Maybe not from your point of view," he responded, giving her a wink as he hit the call button beside the elevator. "Think Luthor would see it the same way? That last story you wrote on the dockworkers' wages caused Lexcorp stock to drop two points. And you just know that's gotta make the CEO of Wayne Enterprises happy. Hell, Wayne will probably be more than willing to tell you ever dirty little secret about Luthor and Lexcorp if you ask him."

"I doubt such a thing would be necessary," Hudson pointed out as she pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "I shouldn't have to resort to using my acquaintanceship with Bruce to learn things about Lex and his business dealings that I likely already know."

Louis shrugged as the elevator doors opened and he stepped inside. "Ever think Wayne might use you to glean a little info?"

She shook her head as she joined him. "Unless he's changed quite a bit, I don't think Bruce Wayne would do such a thing. He's… well, the man I remember had a little more class than that."

At the silence beside her, Hudson turned her head to find Louis regarding her thoughtfully. "What?" She asked.

"Seems like you admire him quite a bit." He grinned. "Must've been rough back then… a teenage farm girl with two of America's most eligible billionaires fighting for her attention."

That wasn't exactly how she remembered it. The night of their introduction, she'd attempted to set his mansion on fire. Well, not on purpose. A burglar had broken into the coat room, where she happened to be hiding out from complete embarrassment after making a fool of herself to his guests - and he'd pulled a knife on her. She'd used her heat vision to knock it out of his hand, only to set one of the fur coats on fire. The entire room had been demolished by the time it was put out, his guests had lost all of their very expensive coats, as well as purses filled with Heaven knows what, she'd been mortified, and Lex had spent the rest of the evening in laughter.

"Don't be surprised if we get to Lexcorp Plaza, Bruce takes one look at me and calls in his security," she admitted with a sigh.

"Somehow, I doubt that, Smallville," Louis replied softly as they stepped in to the lobby, glancing over at her in a manner Hudson couldn't quite decipher. "Somehow, I doubt that."

*****

The rest of the meeting with Lex had gone exactly as Bruce anticipated that it would. He'd brought up the real estate questions again. Lex had shrugged them off with a non-committal smile. Bruce had asked for another glass of brandy, tossed a few thinly veiled insults in Lex's direction, allowed him to believe the alcohol had slightly gone to his head, and then warned him about staying the hell out of Gotham before departing. Knowing Lex, he was probably sitting back in his office, confident in his own mastery of the world around him, laughing at Bruce's pitiful objections to Lexcorp's intrusion into his city. For the moment, none of that really mattered. Bruce had far more pressing questions that needed answers; Fox and the rest of the board would take care of the real estate matter without his interference.

Stepping out of the Lexcorp lobby onto the steps leading down to the street, he squinted for a moment against the bright rays of the sun. Metropolis always seemed to be overly bright, as if clouds did not know how to exist here. The streets were too clean, the buildings constructed of reflective materials that gleamed in the sunlight, and even the citizens seemed to dress as if they had something personal against anything dark. He was always on edge when he came here, which was why he generally chose to stay away. Gotham was where he belonged, and Gotham was where he was needed. Cities like Metropolis were simply foreign to him.

Unfortunately, he had to remain in Metropolis a while longer, so as he made his way down the clean concrete steps, he affected the same loose and relaxed gate of the people around him. He flashed a smile at every employee of Lexcorp that was hurrying in the opposite direction, and kept it in place as he noticed no less than a half dozen reporters surging up the steps to cut off his escape to the limousine.

"Mr. Wayne! What has brought you to Metropolis?"

"Mr. Wayne! Is it true that you're having a secret love affair with the mayor of Metropolis' wife?"

He chuckled.

"Mr. Wayne!" An overly exuberant man stepped directly in his path, and shoved a small recording device into his face. "Louis Lane with the _Daily Planet_. Is it true that Wayne Enterprises is currently developing a secret merger with Takashi Shipping?"

Bruce smiled at the question. "Well now, if it were a secret, why would I answer your question?"

Not waiting for a response, he started past Lane only to come to an abrupt halt as he recognized the tall, dark-haired woman hovering behind the man.

"Hudson Kent, isn't it?" He immediately called out, reaching for her hand and bringing it to his lips. He kissed it, lingering a little longer than usual to watch in amusement as her face flushed three different shades of red. "It's been a long time."

"Umm, yeah." She snatched her hand back, gave him what appeared to be a forced smile, and then clutched her enormous purse in front of her as if in fear that he planned on stealing it.

She was a far cry from the bubbly, enamored teenager he'd met years before. The significant change in her demeanor was actually quite amazing. If he didn't already know it was all an act, he'd wonder what had happened to her.

"You know, I was just talking about you with Lex," he began, stepping closer to her to block the probing eyes and ears of the press around them. "If I'd known you were so close by, I would have suggested we all have lunch together."

Hudson's eyes grew as round as saucers, and Bruce had to bite back a smile. "Oh! That… that wouldn't have been a good idea, Mr. Wayne."

"Bruce, please." He smiled. "I'm teasing. I would never wish to put you into such an awkward position, Miss Kent."

"Hudson… uh, please."

"Hudson, then."

"Excuse me," Louis Lane cut in, flashing a pointed look at her. "Smallville, would you like to introduce me to your friend?"

She blinked at him. "I thought you'd already introduced yourself?"

Bruce thought he might have to mark this down as one of the most amusing encounters he'd witnessed in a long while. Though Louis Lane was a fairly well-known reporter for the Daily Planet, proving that he was good at his job, it was plainly obvious that he had no idea regarding the truth that was literally under his nose at the moment. Otherwise, Bruce seriously doubted he'd be giving Hudson Kent such a quelling death-look.

As if finally catching on to his meaning, Hudson quickly gave Bruce a small smile. "Bruce Wayne, this is Louis Lane, my partner at the _Daily Planet_."

"We've met," Bruce acknowledged, pointing out the rude behavior of Louis earlier, before turning from him completely and slipping his arm around Hudson's waist as he guided her toward the sidewalk.

"Say, why don't you join me for lunch, Hudson? We could spend some time catching up. My plane isn't scheduled to leave until later this afternoon. I'd love to find out what you've been doing with yourself the last few years."

"Well, I really need to – "

"She'd love to join you!" Louis interrupted when Hudson was clearly about to decline the invitation. "Don't worry about it, Smallville. I'll take care of that other story we've got – after all, what else is a partner good for? You go on and catch up with Wayne – er, your friend."

"Looks like you're out of excuses," Bruce said with a smile, holding his arm out to her.

Hudson still appeared ready to argue. She stared at his arm as if it were a weapon of some kind, cast one more glare in Louis' direction, and then finally, cautiously, took his arm. "I suppose you're right," she said, forcing a smile up at him.

Ignoring Louis as he called out to them to have a good time, Bruce led her down the rest of the steps toward the waiting Rolls Royce. He paused a moment as the driver opened the door, allowing the press to take their photographs, holding Hudson's arm steady even as she seemed ready to throw herself into the backseat. Once certain there were enough photos of them to drive Lex mad for the next week or two, Bruce released his hold on his lunch date, smiling as she did toss herself unceremoniously into the car. She looked disgruntled, and very prepared to say things she actually wasn't prepared to say. Her manners seemed to win out, though, as Bruce settled himself beside her, and she gave him another smile, primly folding her hands on her lap.

"Any suggestions for lunch?"

"Oh, wherever." She waved a hand. "I get the feeling I'm more of the burger and fries kind of gal, compared to Mr. steak and lobster beside me."

Bruce chuckled, nodding to the driver. "The nearest diner."

"You don't have to, really," Hudson told him, squirming in her seat.

"I insist. I prefer you be comfortable enough to share all of the juicy gossip that Metropolis has to offer."

Her eyes flashed quickly to his, as if attempting to delineate what exactly he was referring to. "Oh, well, I'm not really good with gossip."

"You're a reporter – of course you're good with gossip. You can't tell me you don't know everything there is to know about Superwoman. Such as what she likes to eat, where she likes to hang out, who she's dating…"

Hudson looked offended. "I most certainly do not! I could care less what that… that… vigilante charlatan is up to!"

Bruce flashed an amused smirk at her fake outrage. "I take it you're not a fan of Superwoman?"

"No one in their right mind would be," she replied, doing a damned good job of not meeting his gaze. For a moment, Bruce considered pointing out to her the old adage of protesting too much, but then he knew he had a tendency to become a bit defensive whenever the topic of Batman came up, so he let it go.

Leaning back against the seat, Bruce continued to watch her as Hudson's gaze traveled everywhere but to his own. He wondered if she were simply nervous because she worried that he might put two and two together regarding her identity, or if it were something else entirely. The last time they'd met, they were both close to Lex Luthor. While her marriage and subsequent divorce from the head of Lexcorp was common knowledge, his relationship as Lex's business rival was a little less clear-cut. And if that was what she believed, coupled with her identity as Superwoman, Bruce could understand why she would be unsettled around him.

It hadn't taken long to figure out Superwoman's secret identity. A little less than 24-hours from the moment she'd appeared on television screens around the world. The one weekend she'd spent at Wayne Manor with her obsessively possessive boyfriend at her side had left Bruce more than a little curious as to what she seemed to be hiding. But he'd been younger then, and certainly far more naïve, with plenty more important concerns to occupy his thoughts. Shortly after she and Lex had departed, Bruce forgot all about Hudson Kent from Smallville.

And then Superwoman had appeared.

The mere presence of an alien on Earth left Bruce with cause for concern, no matter how altruistic her intentions might seem. And once he'd realized Superwoman and Hudson Kent were one in the same, having previously met her did little to quell his apprehensions. It was due to Alfred's advice that he hadn't gone immediately to Metropolis to confront her; Alfred had suggested that he give Superwoman time to prove herself, and that it might be a good thing to have someone else out there to help fight the injustices in the world. Bruce's only problem with that was he had trouble accepting the idea of an alien having the authority to decide what was right and wrong when it came to humanity. What gave her the right? And how could the world be assured of her trustworthiness? It was one thing for someone like him to don a costume and spend his nights scaring criminals into behaving. It was quite another when the person doing it happened to be super-powered; deflecting bullets and knives with her bare skin, shooting heat from her eyes, flying. God knew he had his share of maniacal psychopaths who seemed to get off on taking on the Batman, but the ever more inventive ways that criminals relished in trying to kill Superwoman were becoming worrisome.

Besides, with the presence of Hudson, who was to say there weren't more aliens out there?

The ride to the diner was mostly quiet for Hudson's part. Bruce regaled her with tales of his time abroad, leaving out the more interesting points, and wondering why she seemed to tense as he spoke of it. She did ask after Alfred and his home, mentioning that she'd heard about it burning down, but she said little else. He had no doubt she was sizing him up in the same manner as he was her, the only difference being he had a little more information to go on.

The diner they pulled up to was typical for its kind in a major city – settled on the corner of a busy intersection, crammed with the lunch crowd now when it would most likely be empty come dinner time, with a mostly cold and detached atmosphere that promised great food but less than noteworthy service. Bruce caught the occasional glance of recognition as they entered and more than a few glares when he slipped a fifty to the hostess in order to get a seat before the line of customers waiting. Hudson sighed beside him but said nothing, apparently used to such behavior from a previous billionaire that she knew.

"You've told me very little about what you've been up to, Hudson," Bruce commented after they were settled with menus and glasses of room-temperature tap water.

"My life isn't near as exciting as yours," she said, burying her face behind her menu.

"Somehow I have trouble believing that." He reached out and tugged her menu down, forcing her to meet his gaze. "You _were_ married to Lex Luthor, after all."

There was a flicker of pain in her eyes, and Bruce immediately found himself regretting his words.

"Yes, well, everything was exciting during that time period. And then my life went back to being boring."

Bruce smiled softly, surprised that she was able to draw such sympathy from him. He couldn't decide if it was a good thing or not that she appeared to be so very human. Had Lex known the truth? He wondered. Is that what caused the dissolution of their marriage? It was difficult to make sense of, knowing Lex Luthor as he did. He highly doubted he would keep such a thing secret, especially considering how much Lex despised Superwoman and wanted the world rid of her presence. Bruce knew he should probably warn her of Lex's plans but now certainly wasn't the time.

"I was sorry to hear about what happened," he said. "As well as I know Lex, I couldn't quite figure it – him killing his father."

Hudson's eyes flickered away from his. "He was acquitted of all charges, you might remember."

He nodded. "Yes. After you claimed his innocence."

Her gaze flew back to his. "Are you implying that I lied on the stand, Bruce?"

It was all the answer he needed. Bruce's reservations regarding Superwoman grew with the knowledge that she'd allowed Lex Luthor to get away with patricide. Had it all been due to some undying devotion to him? And had it ended when she became racked with guilt? Or something else?

"I just remembered I have an interview scheduled over at City Hall in twenty minutes," she exclaimed suddenly, getting quickly to her feet and offering what Bruce could only interpret as an annoyed smile. "I'm sorry I have to run out on you like this, Bruce. I'm sure it's something you're not very used to having happen to you."

He smiled easily as he stood. "You'd be surprised."

Hudson raised an eyebrow. "Not entirely." She held out her hand to shake his. "It was good seeing you, again, Bruce. Enjoy your trip back to Gotham."

She ducked into the crowd and out the door before he could respond. Bruce's smile faded as he watched her go. He didn't want to believe the worst of the young farm girl who, once upon a time, had laughed freely and brought to heel, no matter how long it lasted, a man like Lex Luthor. But he'd learned the hard way that things weren't always what they seemed, most people couldn't be trusted and Hudson was an unquantifiable factor.

What was the truth that existed in the heart of an alien?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Sorry it's been so long since I last updated this! Got wrapped up in grad school work and completely forgot! I'll update again tomorrow!

_**Quintessence **_

_**Chapter 3  
**_

Hudson could admit to herself that her encounter with Bruce Wayne had left her slightly flustered. She hadn't even remembered during the drive to the diner that her purpose for going to Lexcorp in the first place had been to seek him out for a piece to write up for the Planet. All of that had fled the moment Bruce had taken her hand in his and brought back a myriad of memories she'd rather not remember: That weekend spent at Wayne Manor in Gotham, when she and Lex had been so happy that not even the gorgeous and charming Bruce Wayne could capture her attention; and later, when she had gone to Bruce seeking help in denying Lionel Luthor the attempt to destroy Lex by committing him to Belle Reve asylum. Bruce had been gone, whereabouts unknown, and her ability to rescue the man she loved (the last chance she had truly been given) had disappeared with him. It wasn't as if she blamed Bruce for not being there when she and Lex needed him most; after all, he hadn't known what was happening. Had he known, Hudson had no doubt he would have helped. But it was the rekindling of those memories she'd rather keep in the furthest recesses of her mind that she resented.

Bruce had been charming and friendly and even more handsome than she remembered. And she'd been uncomfortable for every minute she'd been forced to spend in his presence. That life--having friends like him--had ended years ago. She didn't like the fact that something as simple as his mere presence in Metropolis could serve to bring all of it rushing back.

She didn't go back to the _Planet_; she called Louis and told him her nose for news had led her on to the trail of a hot case. It was a lie on top of a whole heap of lies that Louis might one day resent her for. That was something she was slowly growing used to. Instead, she ran back to Smallville, where she sat in the kitchen with her mom and dad, ate a plateful of freshly baked brownies, and refused to tell either of them what it was that was bothering her.

Patrol had come as a relief to her that night. The chance to don the uniform and become Superwoman, the alien being who had little to worry about other than her horrid fashion sense and the rare bit of Kryptonite. Hudson enjoyed being Superwoman, enjoyed having the chance to step outside herself; concern herself with other people's problems and the problems of the world. She even enjoyed rescuing the occasional kitten from a tree because of the thanks she received for doing so.

And so when she heard a distant scream from down near the riverfront, she sped in that direction, pleased to have a purpose as she arrived over the top of an alley where a mugger had a young couple trapped between a warehouse wall and his knife. Shaking her head, she floated down toward the street when a black shadow appeared out of the night, dropping from the roof to the alley into a menacing crouch not far from the attacker. Hudson watched in stunned silence as the would-be rescuer, recognizable to her as the Batman, immediately launched forward, knocking the knife away with a well-placed kick as the couple screeched and fled down the street. He grabbed the mugger, slamming his fist into his face; a crack, indicating a broken nose, rang through the silence as Hudson landed behind him.

"Am I interrupting?"

The Batman barely turned to afford her a glance over his shoulder. "As a matter of fact – " His fist pulled back once more but this time didn't meet it's mark as Hudson's hand caught it. He turned eyes to her that glittered in the darkness. "Do you mind?"

"As a matter of fact… I don't remember giving you leave to beat up on the citizens of Metropolis." She arched an eyebrow, waiting patiently until he released his hold on the frightened and sobbing man.

"He broke my goddamn nose!" The man cried, covering his face with his hands in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.

"I could break something else if you would like," the Batman offered, taking a menacing step toward him.

"Oh no, you don't," Hudson said, stepping into his path and drawing herself up to her full height. "I just said there was never an invitation extended by me for you to come to Metropolis and beat up its citizens."

Batman waved a gloved hand. "He's getting away."

Hudson turned to watch as the man scurried out of the alley, disappearing across the street. She took quick note of the sound of his rapidly beating heart, and wheezing breath before shrugging and turning back to the Batman. "No matter. He won't get far."

"You're awfully superior up there on your high horse, aren't you… Superwoman?" His deep, raspy voice sent a brief shiver down her spine. He didn't back down; didn't appear the least bit concerned with her presence.

She'd been fascinated by Batman since she'd first read about him almost two years ago. But meeting him… wasn't quite what she had expected it to be. Not that she had expected them to hug one another in some kind of mutual costumed-superhero-bond (okay, so maybe she had daydreamed about that once or twice) but a '_Hey, nice to meet you, Superwoman_!' wouldn't have been too much to have asked for, would it? She squared her shoulders and decided to try a different approach.

"What are you doing here?"

"Investigating."

She waited. When he wasn't forthcoming, she asked, "Investigating what?"

"None of your business." He moved past her, glancing up at the roof of the warehouse beside them.

"None of my – " Hudson's patience disintegrated. "If that's how you're going to be about it, then I am going to ask you, just once, to please leave. If there is something criminal going on, then you can ask me–_nicely_–to look into it. Otherwise, you, and your questionable methods, are not welcome here."

Batman continued to ignore her, his attention focused on something at his belt. Frowning, and fed up, Hudson reached out to grab him but Batman took a step back, glowering at her from behind his mask. "I wouldn't, if I were you."

She smiled, secure in the knowledge of her own power. "And why is that?"

"Because, if you touch me, an innocent citizen of Metropolis will die."

Her hand snapped back as if burnt, eyes narrowing as she stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Personal security," he began, voice lowering in a way that seemed to add more substance to his threat. "In order to protect myself, I've rigged a bomb to one unsuspecting citizen in your city. If you attempt to apprehend me, if you touch me in the most unobtrusive manner that person will die. Do you want to be responsible for their murder?"

"You're lying."

Batman shrugged. "Perhaps. The question is: Are you willing to take that chance?"

Hudson didn't really believe him, or at least, she didn't want to. After all, the Batman was partially responsible for her decision to go public and become a defender of humanity. Still, there was far too much about the vigilante that she didn't know, and throughout the year prior, he'd been more of a hunted man in Gotham than many of the criminals he sought. There were rumors that he was responsible for the deaths of five people--including two cops--and even though his previous actions couldn't quite cause Hudson to reconcile the information, there was just enough indecision within to cause her to take a step back at his threat. She'd tried to gauge his reaction to her response but there was little to go on. The man had seemed entirely emotionless. He simply stared at her, as if wondering if she were going to take any further action, and then he turned his back to her, gaze returning to the street below.

Her frustration mounted. "You're a real bastard," she told him, fists clenching at her sides. "And now I know I was right about you."

"And _I_ was right about _you_," he responded. "Are we done here?"

"No." She folded her arms across her chest, lifting her chin just slightly, making herself seem taller. It was a nice illusion that had usually worked well on criminals. "I want you out of Metropolis. Now."

He turned away from her, pulling out his grapple gun. "I've got work to do."

"Did you hear me?"

He glanced at her over his shoulder. "Did _you_?" He asked before taking aim and firing. Without waiting for an answer, he ascended upwards to the top of the fire escape, jumping over it on to the roof.

It took everything within her not to stamp her foot. She quickly followed, landing in front of him, barely a whisper as her boots settled against the tar. "I won't have a vigilante running loose in my city, Batman," she warned him, remaining surprisingly calm, though her emotions were running rampant. "If you have a problem, then you bring it to me, and I'll take care of it."

"The only problem I currently have _is_ you," he growled, stepping up to her. "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself. So why don't you run along and go back to playing with your dolls, little girl."

The Batman stepped around her, continuing his way across the roof as she called out, "I don't know who you seem to think you are, but I am not a child!"

He returned to ignoring her, and that was something Hudson was entirely not used to. Even Lex didn't ignore her, although recently, his behavior had led her to wish he would ignore. His illegal dealings, the majority of which she had trouble ever actually pinning on him, were growing more frequent by the day. It was almost as if he'd had something to prove to her. While it was more than unfair to compare the Batman to Lex, Hudson had been unable to deny there was something in their attitude toward her that was very much alike. She could only come to the conclusion that the Batman didn't like her simply because she wasn't human.

Frowning, she followed him over to the edge of the roof, briefly peering down at the warehouse below. There were two shipping trucks parked outside the bay doors, but no sign of activity. The wording on the sides of the trucks read Farmer's Market Grocers. She didn't know what it was he was looking for, and at that moment, she didn't care.

"Excuse me?" Hudson stepped up onto the ledge, glaring down at him, perturbed at being ignored.

"Are you always this annoying?" The Batman muttered, turning his gaze back to the warehouse below. "No wonder you've rid this city of crime. No criminal in their right mind would want to put up with you."

"At least I've done something about the crime in my city," she retorted.

Something in the Batman's eyes seemed to snap at her flippant remark, and he was up on the ledge beside her, leaning in so that the tip of his mask almost touched her nose. Her eyes widened slightly, breath growing uneven as she gazed up at him. She actually had to remind herself that no matter how imposing he suddenly appeared to be, he really couldn't hurt her.

"You don't know the slightest thing about my city," he growled. "So I'd ask you to keep your mouth shut."

She blinked as he spun away from her, returning to the edge of the roof, leaning so far over it she worried for a moment that he might fall and then he did, right over the ledge. She took a quick step, watching in wonder as his cape flared out to his sides like great black wings, and he glided swiftly and softly to the street. Biting her lip at the momentary awe she felt at watching a man fly that couldn't really fly, Hudson took a step off the roof and floated down to the ground beside him.

There was no reaction from the Batman as she landed; he turned away from her once more and continued toward the warehouse, keeping to the shadows as he sidled up to the trucks. He bent down, pulling something small and lethal in appearance, before attaching it to the bottom of the vehicle. Hudson's jaw dropped as she realized what exactly he was doing, and she settled her hands to her hips, marching over beside him as he stood to make his way into the building.

"You can't just destroy someone else's property!" She protested, moving to stand in his way as she pointed toward the small bomb he'd placed on the underside of the truck.

The expression Batman was giving her clearly told Hudson she wasn't making the best impression. "This isn't someone else's property," he responded. "These trucks are hauling illegal arms purchased through a dummy corporation of Lexcorp for the sole purpose of outfitting gangs around Gotham."

She set her jaw, meeting his gaze. "I want proof."

He seemed to reach the end of his patience. "Get out of my way, little girl," he snarled, moving past her toward the entrance as he reached for another one of the explosives on his belt.

"I will not allow you to do this!" Superwoman told him, speeding to move in front of him once more, blocking his entrance to the door.

Smiling dangerously, Bruce continued to pull out another explosive, arming them both.

"Stop it!" She demanded, eyes darting from the bombs in his hands to his face.

"What are you going to do?" He asked. "Stop me? Are you willing to trade the life of that one innocent person for a warehouse?"

It was her turn to smile. "You have to toss them inside. I'll have them in my hands before they hit the ground."

The Batman shrugged, sidestepping her once again to move in through the doors. "I'm more than willing to sacrifice my own life to protect the people of Gotham."

Hudson hated that with that one sentence, he'd won their little battle. Even if she didn't completely trust him, even if she felt he had no jurisdiction there, even if a small part of her considered him little more than a dangerous vigilante, she certainly wasn't willing to sacrifice the Batman or anyone else. It was perhaps her biggest failing when it came to attempting to protect the citizens of Earth she had to protect all of them, good or bad, evil or altruistic intentions. She'd learn long ago that she couldn't be judge, jury and executioner, not when it was impossible to have all the facts. Not when she could far too easily make the wrong choice.

"Wait," she called out, moving up beside him quickly. "You don't… that is, maybe you're right. But if we're going to do this, then we do it my way. Understood? Just… turn those off, please."

It seemed to grate on him, the idea of doing things her way. He tensed and stared at her for a very long moment, and Hudson wasn't naïve enough not to realize that he'd been in control from the moment she'd found him in the alley. Perhaps he figured that he might as well give her a little room to push back.

"Very well," he agreed, turning off the explosives and tucking them back into his belt. "You have a plan?"

Hudson wanted to suggest leaving, but the fact of the matter remained, if Lex was truly involved, then it was more than certain something illegal was going on. Nodding, she turned her gaze to the warehouse, eyes narrowing slightly as she scanned through every wall, and door, and hidden compartment. There were odd and ends, the kind of materials one expects in a warehouse along the waterfront, but no guns, no weapons of any sort. In fact, in her opinion, it was a little too clean, but she wasn't ready to admit to Batman just yet that he could be on to something.

"There's nothing there."

"How can you be so certain?"

Hudson rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest and turned to him. "Because I can see_ through _things. Any other stupid questions?"

The Batman seemed to raise an eyebrow at her retort; at least, that was how it looked to her. She couldn't really tell with the mask in the way. She found herself chewing on her lower lip, tempted, if only for the briefest of moments, to peer beneath the mask and see who it was underneath. She knew that wouldn't really be the best way to make friends, though; a gross abuse of her abilities.

"Then I'll check another warehouse," he told her.

"Wait." She stopped him just as he began to turn away. "Look, there are far better ways of dealing with Luthor and his underhanded schemes. I'm not saying you're right--I'm just saying I've probably had to deal with him more than you."

He appeared to consider this. "What would you suggest?"

"I know a reporter--Louis Lane. He and his partner… er, Kent-something, have taken on Lexcorp more times than I can count. They know Luthor's operations inside and out. I'll contact Louis. See what he can find out before we go charging in blowing things up."

"I've always found 'blowing things up' to be an effective method of learning what you need."

Hudson really couldn't tell if he were making a joke, teasing her, or what. She let it go for the moment, figuring that trying to make sense of the man in front of her was probably a bigger task than she was willing to take on for the moment.

"I just prefer we do things my way before you decide to take matters into your own hands in this city. Deal?"

She wasn't entirely certain that the Batman was someone she could take at his word, but she found herself hoping it were so. She let out a soft breath as he nodded once in response before turning to leave. He moved so quickly and stealthily as he disappeared into the night that had she not been able to hear his heartbeat as he moved through the city, Hudson would have sworn he couldn't have truly been human.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Quintessence **_

_**Chapter 4  
**_

Bruce counted it as a pretty good night when the only injury he could claim was a slight bruising of his hand where Superwoman had grabbed it in an attempt to keep him from beating the mugger they'd caught. Either she didn't know her own strength, or she was uncertain of his. Luckily, the flight back to Gotham had been short and uneventful. Bruce Wayne had simply been delayed from leaving earlier that afternoon, having been invited to attend a performance of the Moscow Ballet while they were in Metropolis. He couldn't turn down the invitation by his old friend, Natascha, even though he had been forced to leave before the performance was over.

Alfred was waiting with the Rolls Royce at the airstrip. He raised an eyebrow as Bruce approached the car and handed him his bags. "How was the ballet, Master Wayne?"

"I've seen better performances," he commented, smiling as he slid into the backseat.

During the drive to the manor, Alfred caught him up on the news in Gotham throughout the day. Fox called to confirm that the agreement with Takashi Shipping had gone through. Bruce couldn't decide if he was pleased with the news or not; while they hadn't been able to find anything worrisome about the company, he still didn't like the idea of dealing with the same people Lex Luthor did business with. Unless, of course, it meant taking business away from Lexcorp. It also meant he'd be expected to attend the party in honor of the company's opening in Metropolis that week, and honestly, one trip a year to that city was just about enough for him.

"Find everything you were looking for, sir?"

Bruce nodded as he picked up the evening edition of the _Gotham Times_ that was laying on the seat for him. He switched on the overhead light. "Lex's gun-running operation will be easy to dismantle. Almost too easy, in fact. Makes me wonder what it's covering up…"

"Can't things just be simple?"

"Not where Lex is concerned, no." He winced as his hand flexed and held it up, glancing at the bruising around his knuckles. He heard Alfred ask, "What happened to your hand?"

"Superwoman." Bruce winced as he flexed his fingers and then opened the paper. "She didn't appreciate the fact that I was beating up one of Metropolis' criminals."

"Ah." Alfred smiled. "Territorial, I see."

"You have no idea."

"Must be a common trait among those with dual identities…"

Bruce glanced up at the quip to find Alfred barely attempting to hide a smile.

"Anyway," Bruce began as a smile appeared. "Before running into Superwoman, I had an almost-lunch with Miss Hudson Kent."

"Almost-lunch, sir?"

"I can't help but believe that when she looks at me, she sees Lex."

"But with hair."

Bruce's smile broadened. "Yes. With hair. We'd barely sat down when she was suddenly making excuses about some interview at City Hall."

He glanced through the headlines quickly before pulling out section C, and turning to page five, where news of Batman had recently been relegated:

_The menacing vigilante known as The Batman, wanted in connection with the murders of five Gotham citizens, including two police officers, continues to evade capture. In a statement released by the office of Police Commissioner Gordon today, attention seems to be focused more on solving the recent surge of crime in Gotham, rather than apprehension of the vigilante. Said a spokesman for the Gotham Police Department, "We all want to bring The Batman to justice for crimes committed but at the moment there are more pressing matters concerning Gotham's citizens…"_

"Perhaps Miss Kent still worries over that little coatroom fire."

"You'd think she would have gotten over that when news got out about me burning the entire place down."

Alfred chuckled. "Quite. She's doing well, then?"

Bruce shrugged. "Seems to be."

He laid the paper in his lap as he recalled both encounters with her during his day in Metropolis. He couldn't decide if his knowledge of her not being human now colored his perception of her or not. Alfred still didn't know the truth, or he would have asked him what he thought. There was something about having the secret identity of another in your hands, and knowing what was at stake. The man cleaning up around him was Bruce's most trusted friend and confidant, but that didn't mean he had the right to go broadcasting Superwoman's true identity to him, even if he knew the information would be safe with Alfred.

"I remember that weekend she and Luthor visited quite vividly," Alfred commented as they pulled onto the drive that led to Wayne Manor. "I do believe it was the only time I'd ever heard Lex Luthor laugh."

"Well, he doesn't seem to spend much time laughing anymore, either. He also appears to have developed a bit of an obsession with Superwoman."

The worst part of Lex's little speech to him about Superwoman was that he had a point, however wrong-minded it might be. On paper, Superwoman appeared to be unstoppable, while Lex claimed to be the only one on Earth who happened to know how to stop her. The question remained: Did Lex know Superwoman and Hudson Kent were the same person? And if so, had he gleaned the information from her when they were still in love? If that were the case, then it meant Hudson was aware of a way to neutralize her that she apparently had no inclination of sharing with others. That was worrisome, if only because things could always get out of hand, no matter the intention.

"Something to worry about, sir?"

"Hmmm? I'm not entirely certain I have an answer to that question yet, Alfred. Lex isn't really my problem but Superwoman is. The fact of her existence doesn't affect just Metropolis but the world. If Batman brings out the worst of Gotham, what could she achieve?"

"Batman also brings out the best, Master Wayne," Alfred pointed out. "Perhaps the same can be said for Superwoman."

"Perhaps… " Bruce turned his gaze out the window.

She'd already proved to him that she refrained from abusing her abilities, and she had been right about one thing, the people of Metropolis loved Superwoman. Well, everyone but Lex apparently. But was that enough? When Bruce considered the lengths he'd been forced to go to in order to stop the Joker, he couldn't help but grow concerned that there might be someone even worse out there. Someone with the desire to test Superwoman's limits.

And one thing _was_ for certain: her limits had yet to be tested.

"I suppose this means more late night visits to Metropolis, sir?"

Bruce looked up, catching Alfred's gaze in the mirror. "Probably. Why?"

"Well, you're going to need an alibi…."

Bruce couldn't help but raise his brow in curiosity as Alfred flashed him a grin.

******

Louis stared at the note in his hand – the tiny and precise handwriting, the vague but important message, the soft whiff of… well, whatever the scent was, it was pleasant.

_Please look into connection – Luthor __ Farmers Market Grocers __ Gotham._

_ Top of B of M building. 1:30PM._

_~ S_

Anyone else would have sent an email but for some reason Louis has never really pictured Superwoman as a computer kind of gal. She seemed to like the more hands-on approach; hence the note that was sitting on his desk in a crisp white envelope when he'd arrived earlier that morning. _Superwoman wrote and left him a note_! He smiled at the realization as he held the paper beneath his nose and inhaled once more. A clean scent like… like a fresh spring breeze. He imagined her hunched over – well, wherever it was that she wrote it. Perhaps this very desk, brows knitted together as she thought over what to say. He liked the little squiggle before the 'S'. Maybe someday little notes like this would also end with an 'x' or two. _'Love & Kisses, Superwoman'_. Yeah, that was just about perfect.

Although how she expected him to get on to the roof of the Bank of Metropolis building, he had no idea.

"What in Heaven's name is that thing on your head?"

Louis winced at the sound of Hudson's voice behind him, barely glancing over his shoulder to find her standing in the aisle between their desks, staring at him. She even had a finger out, pointing. She dropped it momentarily as her shoulder bag slid down her arm; she adjusted it quickly and went back to pointing.

"That, my dear fashion-challenged partner is a fedora… a chapeau, an homburg, a trilby – "

"An ugly eyesore."

"It is not." He pulled his feet down from where they reclined against the top of his desk and turned to face her as she set her bag down and started her computer. "You gotta dress the part to get ahead in this world, Smallville. Poorly-fitted jackets and ugly flats just aren't going to cut it. Now me," he flicked at the rim of the fedora, "I thought I'd go for the Macaulay Connor look."

Hudson met his gaze, blinking. "That kid who ran around his house screaming all of the time?"

"What? Oh, hell. Not Macaulay Caulkin – Macaulay Connor. You know – Jimmy Stewart. _The Philadelphia Story_."

"Oh, yes." She nodded and turned her attention to her monitor. "That one with Tom Hanks. That was sad."

Louis didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He was close to beating his head against the desk. Sighing instead, he said more to himself, "Although, I admit I do tend to resemble Cary Grant far more than Stewart."

"In your dreams… "

His head came up at the barely-heard words and glanced sharply in Hudson's direction. "Did you just say something?"

"Pardon?" She looked over at him, eyes wide, and a touch of a frown on her face.

He must be hearing things. "Nothing."

Leaning back in his seat, Louis watched quietly for a moment as she began looking through her emails and shooting back responses with the fastest typing he'd ever seen. When Hudson had first started at the _Daily Planet_, the other employees would gather around her desk just to watch her type. Money exchanged hands over words per minute. Jokes were made over to what other talents could be possible with those fingers. Eventually, the novelty wore off and everyone went back to work. But sometimes, Louis still couldn't help but watch in amazement over how quickly she get could a story typed out. He didn't bother much with typing himself; it was the content that mattered. Even when typed one finger at a time.

"So how'd the reunion with Wayne go?" he asked after a few moments.

Hudson shrugged. "It didn't. He bored me so I left."

Louis' eyebrows shot up at that. He leaned forward once more, trying not to laugh. "You… walked out on Bruce Wayne?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Well, one thing's for certain Smallville, you never cease to surprise me." Louis grinned at her obvious ignorance that she had done anything wrong. "I wonder if that's the key…?"

"The key to what?" She stopped typing to peer at him over the rim of her glasses.

"To the way billionaires flock to your side."

There were few things Louis loved more than annoying his partner. Well, other than every single moment spent with Superwoman, and maybe the occasional expensive cigar… Okay, so there was also sex, the Metropolis Sharks, and the Royal Red Robin Burger with fried egg and three strips of bacon. But, after all of that came annoying Hudson Clark Kent. She was far too easy to read, with her cheeks burning a nice bright red and her chest heaving with indignation… that was kind of hot. That was if her blouse wasn't buttoned all the way to her neck (and didn't contain a coffee stain right in the middle of it), and if her hair didn't remind him of half his elementary school teachers.

Hot and Hudson Kent really didn't mix.

"Billionaires do not – Oh!" Hudson shook her head, and Louis was already prepping himself for the lecture. "Why? Why must you turn every little thing back to my past history with Lex Luthor? There's a lot more to me, you know, than just him. Why I – I used to be a local rodeo champion back in junior high and high school. Did you know that? And I handled the entire school paper all by myself my senior year!"

Louis bit back his grin as she stood arms akimbo as she stalked over to him, leaning into his face as she continued. "And, for your information, I am also a world traveler! My years before coming here were spent traveling all over the globe, seeing places and meeting people, and I certainly didn't need Lex Luthor or – or Bruce 'Hi, I think I'm charming' Wayne to do so! I am a perfectly capable, intelligent and talented woman who doesn't need some man to hold her up! Especially billionaires!"

Waiting to see if she was finished, Louis finally glanced around the office, noting that her tirade had caught the attention of their coworkers. Silence seemed to settle over the floor. Slowly, one by one, the other women began to applaud and cheer her. As a triumphant smile settled over her face, Hudson pushed her glasses up her nose and plopped unceremoniously back into her chair. Louis allowed a small grin. Across the room, Eddie, editor of the sports section was giving him a look as if to ask 'What'd you say??' Louis just shrugged.

As everyone seemed to return to work, he wheeled his chair into her cubicle. "You know, Smallville that little speech of yours just went to prove my conclusion."

"And what conclusion would that be, Louis?"

"You ran out on Wayne because you like him. Just like you were drawn to Luthor. And that terrifies you."

She sighed, flashed him a very evil, and yet comical glare, and went back to her typing. "You obviously don't have the slightest clue about women, Louis."

"I know everything there is to know, Smallville," he replied, holding the note in his hand up to his nose once more. "At least about the women who matter."

"What is that?"

"A note… from Superwoman."

She snorted.

"It really is!" He shoved it in front of her face for her inspection. "See? Right there. 'S'."

Hudson's brow furrowed as she scanned it. "What's she doing nosing into Lex's business operations?"

"She isn't. I am." He pulled his hand back, tapping the note against his armrest. "Although, for the life of me I can't figure what Luthor would be doing with a grocer… and what any of that has to do with Gotham."

"She's obviously completely nuts. Her apparent dislike of Lex Luthor is clouding her judgment."

"Superwoman has excellent judgment," Louis scoffed. "And no cracks about her clothing – they're getting old."

Hudson let out a little sigh and returned to her work.

Pondering the mystery for a moment, Louis eventually returned to his own desk. He'd never heard of Farmer's Market Grocers, come to think of it, so he began glancing through the web for information. The grocers has been started only a year earlier, something about offering small farmers in the state of Kansas a way to sell their produce throughout the country without the cost of shipping preventing them from such outreach.

"Hey, Smallville. Check this out. You ever hear of these guys?"

Hudson stood and moved over to Louis' desk, leaning over his shoulder to read the corporation information on the monitor. She was frowning by the end of it. "No. No, I haven't."

"I'd think your father – "

"He hasn't mentioned any such thing." She nudged him out of the way, reaching out to the keyboard, her fingers flying over the keys. "I can call him to ask, but if that were the case, I'd think they would have said something… Hmmm. Says here that Farmer's Market Grocers is funded entirely by donations to a Small Kansas Farmers Fund."

"Donations?" Louis grunted. "Why does that send off warning bells in my head?"

"Well, the voices need something to keep them occupied," Hudson remarked offhandedly as she reached out for a piece of paper and quickly copied some of the information from the screen.

"Oh, ha ha. I'm rubber and you're glue." He reached out to snatch the piece of paper from her. "And this is _my_ story, not _yours_. I was asked to handle it personally. Maybe I'll even ask Wayne about it…"

"I doubt he'd have any interest in talking to you, Louis. Bruce isn't too fond of the press."

"Well, he isn't going to be able to avoid us on Thursday…"

He paused, waiting.

"Th- Thursday? What's Thursday?" Hudson was watching him suspiciously.

Reaching out, Louis grabbed that morning's edition of the _Planet_ and held it up to her. "You don't even read the content of your own paper? Tsk, tsk. I'll be sure to let Miss Grant know. Anyway, it's right there in the social section. A super-sized gala highlighting the opening of Takashi Shipping's first US-based office here in Metropolis. Luthor's hosting it… and all of Takashi Shipping's customers are invited including – you might notice there in the third paragraph, first sentence – the CEO of Wayne Enterprises."

Hudson sat – or rather, fell – back into her chair as she stared at the paper. "I thought Wayne Enterprises hadn't signed with Takashi Shipping… "

"The deal was announced last night in the _Gotham Times_," Louis muttered, recalling asking Wayne that very question on the steps of Lexcorp the day before. "I could have been the first to break that story. Bastard."

"What does this have to do with us?"

Louis refrained from rolling his eyes as he reached into his desk and pulled out the tickets, waving them at her. "We've only been slated to cover this for the last three weeks since it was announced, Smallville. Did you completely forget?"

Apparently she had by the slightly rounded shape her mouth fell into.

He couldn't help but laugh. "And Smallville? Don't wear that atrocious gold thing you wore to the City Hall fundraiser we covered. You looked like my grandmother."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Quintessence **_

_**Chapter 5**_

Hudson was getting on Louis' last nerve, and she knew it. When he said he had a meeting to go to that afternoon, she said she had one as well, and maybe they should share a cab. He insisted that they were likely going in opposite directions, but she followed him all of the way down to the lobby and out of the building anyway. She tried to grab the same cab he was, but he tricked her in the last second; he'd looked over her shoulder and said "Hey there, Luthor." She'd spun around and he'd dove into the back of the cab. Of course, she knew what he was doing, and she had her own places to be anyway, but Hudson took a certain pride in annoying Louis the way that she did.

Of course, he kind of deserved it after the ribbing he'd given her that morning over Bruce Wayne.

After the cab disappeared into traffic, Hudson promptly sped back to her apartment, changed into her uniform and sped back out, flying over the city only seconds after leaving the sidewalk in front of the _Daily Planet_. She listened to the sounds below her where everything seemed, for the moment, to be quiet. There were two cops arguing with a jaywalker over on 7th avenue, and a man on Broadway was attempting to get out of a speeding ticket. Hudson liked it when it was quiet. She didn't enjoy intimidating people into obeying laws or being forced into displaying her abilities for all to see. Certainly it was often necessary to save lives, and she was more than happy to keep people safe but that didn't mean she enjoyed the constant reminder of how truly different she was.

Dismissing the sounds around her, Hudson reached out, down the highway, past fields and fields of cattle and corn, until she could hear the faint voices of her parents. They were sitting in the kitchen from the sounds of it, possibly having just finished lunch.

"… _Just have the back 20 to finish, then the plowing will be done."_

"_The Almanac claims the crops should be good this year."_

"_Would be a nice change of pace…"_

Hudson never listened in for very long, always afraid she might hear something she didn't want to, but she did like to make certain everything was fine back at the farm.

Nearing the Bank of Metropolis, Hudson swooped down to the roof and perched on the ledge, peering over into traffic to wait for Louis' cab. When it finally arrived and he stepped out onto the sidewalk, she sped down to him, snatching him into her arms and then back up to the roof. She held him for a moment as he tried to steady himself on his feet, his face slightly pale.

"Christ," he muttered, swaying slightly as he attempted to focus his gaze on her. "That was… " Whatever he was going to say descended into a garbled grunt.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "It takes a little getting used to."

"Yeah." He waved a hand toward the ground. "Mind if I, uh, sit down… before I fall down…"

Hudson held his hand as Louis slid to the roof. She waited quietly as his stomach seemed to finally settle and he looked up at her.

"So I've been looking into that information you left for me this morning… not much yet, I'm afraid. As usual, if Luthor is involved in something seedy, his tracks are well covered."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a slip of paper, unfolding it. "That grocer is funded by some not-for-profit small farmer's fund. Problem is all of the donations are anonymous. And if that isn't enough to raise your suspicions, then how about the fact that there is absolutely no record of any farm in the state of Kansas, small or otherwise, shipping their food through this Farmer's Market Grocer. Although, and here's the kicker," he squinted as Hudson shifted slightly and the sun caught his eyes, "There are records of various small markets in Gotham receiving shipments. Like this one: Crates of bananas – quantity 50. What kind of small market orders 50 crates of bananas, I ask you?"

"Perhaps one that is located next to Gotham's zoo?" Hudson returned, gazing out across the city. "And the answer to the riddle is none. Bananas don't grow in Kansas."

Since she'd worked with Louis throughout the morning, she already knew the information. But she was still trying to piece it all together. She certainly wouldn't be able to catch Lex in one of his grand schemes without first having all the facts. Too often, the inability to pin anything on Lex usually came down to not having every i dotted and t crossed.

"For future reference," Louis was saying as he gingerly climbed back to his feet. "That was a really bad joke."

Hudson frowned. "So these grocery trucks drive out to… oh, some pre-ordained pickup spot outside the city. A warehouse, perhaps. They load up the crates, cleverly – or not so cleverly, depending on how you look at it – disguised as various fruits and vegetables, and drive them in to Gotham. They stop at fake storefronts that appear to be markets, drop of the guns, receive invoices claiming they just delivered produce, and then they're on their merry way."

"Wait. Did you say guns? What would Luthor be doing shipping guns into Gotham?"

"That's the bonus question," Hudson said, glancing over her shoulder at Louis. "Any ideas?"

Louis reached up to push his fedora back off his head, scratching at his scalp a moment. "I… hell, when it comes to Luthor, I haven't the slightest. How'd you discover this anyway? Were you out buying some lettuce or something, and ended up with a .45, instead?"

"I had a brief run-in with Batman last night."

Louis stared at her in obvious disbelief. "_The_ Batman? Really? Wow… So, is he really half-man, half-bat?"

"Louis… "

He shrugged. "Thought I'd ask. These days, I never know what to expect. It's not like I'd really be shocked if you told me he was. I mean, seriously? A man in a giant bat suit actually sounds a little weirder in my opinion."

Hudson smiled.

"So I take it he was here looking into Lex's operation?"

"Unfortunately. And I'd rather not have him skulking about Metropolis. That's why I asked him to give me some time to take care of this instead."

Louis nodded in agreement. "You trust him?"

It was a double-edged question. The Batman really had not yet given her reason not to trust him, but there was something about a man who felt it necessary to hide behind a mask that set her on edge. Too, she did not agree with his methods. Most of the criminals of Gotham who ran into Batman ended up in the hospital before incarceration. She could not understand the need for such violence. Certainly there were better methods available to him.

"Do I trust his intentions? Yes. Do I trust him here in Metropolis? No." She turned to Louis, adding honestly, "I've finally won the confidence of this city's citizens. I'm not going to jeopardize that with the Batman running around beating them to a pulp."

"That's why the citizens trust you, Superwoman. You keep us safe."

Louis gazed at her for a long enough moment that Hudson grew uncomfortable and looked away.

"Superwoman," Louis began, and by the change in his tone, she knew they were no longer discussing Batman. "You know I admire you. I… Look, I'm nothing special. Not like you or anything. I mean, I consider myself better-than-average in looks, and I'm pretty damn charming, if I do say so myself…"

Hudson smiled.

"See, way I figure it, we have a lot more in common than one would think on first glance – "

"Louis…"

"You want to expose Luthor and all of his illegal deeds; I want to do the same. You believe in truth, justice and the American way; so do I. You're certainly better-than-average in looks; and so am I. You – "

"Louis. Stop. Please." She softened her expression as best she could but he still sighed, as if steeling himself for what he knew was coming. "Trust me when I say that any woman would be lucky to end up with a guy like you. But I just can't commit to anything like that right now. I'm still trying to find my place in this world, let alone someone's life."

She could see the disappointment in his gaze but he quickly masked it behind a smile as he reached out for her hand. "Your place is here. In Metropolis."

"Thank you, Louis."

Louis nodded, a spark of hope flickering in his eyes that Hudson would not allow herself to extinguish. He squeezed her fingers lightly before letting go and shoving his hands into his pockets. Rocking back on his heels a moment, he squinted, brow furrowing. It was not the first time that Hudson found herself thinking he was really cute.

Her cousin, Chloe, was probably laughing at her right at that very moment.

"Weird, isn't it? How inexplicably entangled Metropolis and Gotham are becoming? I mean, we both have our own superheroes. Bruce Wayne is doing business in Metropolis. Lex is apparently running guns into Gotham. Batman is suddenly appearing here. You think any other cities are going to start getting in on the action?"

Hudson blinked. She stared at Louis as her mind attempted to process what he had just said. Bruce Wayne… Batman…

No way. She refused to believe it. Sure, she led double lives as Hudson Kent and Superwoman, and frankly if she were to point out to Louis at that very moment that she was actually Hudson in disguise, he would probably laugh his ass off. She was good, but not _that_ good. There was no possible way that the man she knew as Bruce Wayne, the spoilt, charming and well-dressed billionaire could be the vigilante known as Batman. Their voices were not even the same! Besides which, she was still quite certain Batman had to be affected by the meteors because there was no possible way a human could perform the feats he did or survive some of the stunts he was rumored to pull.

No. Her imagination was simply getting the best of her.

******

Hudson glanced through the mail as she pushed the door to her apartment open later that evening. There was the usual collection of junk mail – catalogs for clothing she couldn't afford, and knick-knacks she wouldn't want to. There was a postcard from Lana and Pete who were currently sightseeing through Europe together; it was of Big Ben and said simply _'Wish you were here! Haha! Hope things are well. Love, Lana and Pete'_, a couple of bills and address labels from the local pet shelter asking for a donation. She gave to them frequently, but it was done anonymously, and Superwoman always dropped by to help out on Adoption Day. Tossing the mail onto the desk beside the door, she kicked off her shoes, slid her purse onto the coat rack and switched on the light.

Hudson wasn't typically the type to be easily startled, but she hadn't been focused on her surroundings, so when she found Batman standing in the middle of the front room, she screeched. She reached out for one of her old rodeo trophies that lined the desk beside her, and held it up in what she hoped to be a threatening manner.

"What are you doing here? What do you want with me?"

He didn't move but his gaze did flicker over the 'weapon' she held in what appeared to be amusement. "You can drop the act," his raspy voice rang out through the apartment, leaving her slack-jawed and stunned as he continued, "Superwoman. You don't need a trophy to protect yourself."

It was on the tip of her tongue to deny it; to continue to deny it until the cows came home, as her dad would say. But there was something in his voice, his stance that told her he was absolutely certain. That he had proof; had it all figured out. To deny it now would only make her look foolish and desperate. She took a deep breath, slowly lowering her arm to set the trophy back in its rightful place. Her heart was beating erratically; it had been years since someone had last learned the truth about her.

And that someone had been Lex.

"What do you want?"

"To warn you. I have sources that tell me Luthor is planning something. He claims to have some substance in his possession that is capable of stopping you."

Hudson frowned at his words. Kryptonite? But why would Lex threaten her with something like that when she already knew he had it in his possession? In fact, she couldn't even attempt to interview him because he always wore that damn ring. Luckily, Louis had yet to seem overly curious as to why she grew so clumsy and nauseous whenever they drew too close to Lex. The whole situation reminded her too much of those early years in Smallville, when Lana insisted on wearing that infernal Kryptonite necklace of hers.

"Do you know what he's talking about?" Batman asked as her silence continued.

Well, she certainly was not about to tell a grown man in a giant bat suit about her weakness.

"No," she denied, crossing her arms over her chest. "And even if I did, why would I tell you?"

"I can get the information from Luthor."

"And that is precisely why I don't trust you."

Batman seemed amused. "I didn't say I'd invite him to tea."

He stepped toward her, and it took every ounce of willpower Hudson had not to step back. She had to constantly remind herself he couldn't overpower her. But he stopped at her desk, gaze drifting over the clutter as he reached out and picked up the trophy she'd brandished earlier.

"How did you find out?" she asked. "About me, that is."

Batman flashed his eyes in her direction. "It's not exactly the cleverest of disguises."

She didn't believe that excuse for a moment. "Maybe not on paper, no. But it works." She pulled off her glasses and tossed them amid the papers on the desk. "You'd be surprised how people tend to ignore the average person on the street. Even the smartest people tend to ignore what's right in front of them until they're flashed with a bright red cape."

"So you mask your identity in primary colors."

"Something like that." Hudson shrugged as she leaned one shoulder against the wall beside her. "So, are you going to tell me who's hiding under that mask?"

"Who says I'm wearing a mask?" His eyes met hers as he asked the question, nothing revealed within their depths to give his identity away.

She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, wondering if she should just come out and ask 'Are you Bruce Wayne??' She doubted, though, such a direct question would achieve much. "Is there supposed to be some hidden philosophical meaning behind that? Besides, I could just _look_, you know. "

"You could," he agreed, and then waited.

But she wouldn't. It would not only be an abuse of her powers but would do little to earn his trust. What frustrated her most of all was that they were forced to conceal their identities at all. Couldn't people just do good deeds and stop crime and not get punished for it? Hudson realized it was a naïve way of thinking but when two people who obviously both wished to do the right thing couldn't even trust one another, then what hope was there for anyone else?

As if satisfied with her choice, Batman turned away from her, cape billowing slightly as he made his way toward the balcony doors.

Hudson wasn't about to let him get away that easily. She sped in front of him, blocking his escape. "You know, the whole dark and brooding bit has been done to death. Are you really fighting injustice? Or just trying to gather your own group of rabid teenage fangirls?"

His lips twisted into what could have been a slight smile. "Maybe I just don't look good in red."

This time, she smiled. "I don't like being put at a disadvantage, Batman. You know my identity, which puts my family and friends at risk. I'm being forced into trusting you… while you obviously refuse to trust me in return."

He watched her for a long moment without saying a word, staring down at her through the small holes in his mask until she found herself shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. She tried not to look away. Fear was the last thing she was going to give him, even if his outfit did leave her unsettled. Considering she knew so little about him, it was entirely possible Batman was yet another person who'd been affected by Kryptonite and was therefore incredibly strong or had some other super skill she didn't know about.

"When you earn my trust," he began finally. "Then I'll give it to you."

Hudson shook her head, pursing her lips as she glared up at him. "That's completely unfair. You sure as hell haven't earned my trust–but I have to give it to you anyway. Is this because I'm– " She'd always had trouble with the word 'alien'. "From another planet?"

"Partially. I won't deny it. You're invincibility, your powers–combined they make you a very dangerous individual. Not that I don't believe you truly wish to do good, but the very fact of what you are can cause some individuals to go to extremes when it comes to stopping you. And that puts everyone at risk."

"Oh? You've decided this in all your infinite wisdom?"

"Let's just say I have the benefit of experience."

She expelled a soft breath, anger dissipating as she nodded in response. "The stuff that happened last year with that Joker character."

Batman didn't respond.

"Look, I'm sorry that things are so… difficult for you in Gotham," Hudson said. "But did you ever think that might have to do with your methods? Your appearance? You're not exactly out there making friends."

"Would you suggest I rescue a kitten or two?"

Now he was making fun of her.

"Hey, even animals need rescuing, especially when they can't look out for themselves," she told him. "Louis once said to me it's all about the PR, and I hate to say it but he's a little bit right. The people of Metropolis love Superwoman. They wave when I fly overhead. They feel safer because I'm here. Just because you screwed up by putting fear in the hearts of the citizens of Gotham instead of respect doesn't mean you have to pin your failings on to me."

Batman's breathing subtly changed but all he did was ask, "Are you finished?"

Apparently she was, for the moment. Hudson stepped to the side, allowing Batman to move past her, opening the doors and stepping outside onto the tiny balcony. She frowned as she followed him out into the night where he leapt onto the railing.

"Just tell me one thing."

He paused, crouched there as he glanced back at her.

"Did you really place a bomb on some unsuspecting Metropolis citizen?"

"What do you think?"

Her frown deepened. "It was a test, wasn't it?"

When Batman didn't respond, her indignation grew. "You lied. That isn't exactly an auspicious beginning to earning _my_ trust."

"No one said I cared about earning _your_ trust. Especially when your naivety isn't exactly an _auspicious_ indication of your view of the world around you."

Without another word, Batman turned and dove off the building. Hudson peered over the balcony, watching as his 'wings' unfurled around him, and he disappeared into the darkness once more.


End file.
